Originally Posted by harimakeshAny Idea about the train Tamilnadu express to Chennai departing from which platform at New Delhi Railway station?

Any body in the forum can help?

Thanks

Oh, this I just can't resist. If only it were so simple!!! harimakesh, if you find a way to simplify this matter, PLEASE let me know. Refer to my journal entry below for why I'm rolling around the floor laughing at your question...

What bluddy platform!!!! (Orchha back to Delhi)
Date Posted: June 23rd, 2006 at 07:34 AM

"Before I get onto Rajasthan, I’d like to extrapulate on our experience while trying to return to Delhi from Orchha. At the Jhansi Railway Station Paul had a bit of a struggle finding someone that spoke English. In fact he downright couldn’t. So he took his best shot at reading the info board, which was written in Hindi, and decided that our train was probably leaving from Platform 1. So we hauled our now very heavy luggage down to where we figured our carriage would probably line up (and these trains can be VERY long!), and sat down to wait. We had a little bit of time to spare, so he decided to go and check around with a few people and see if we were on the right platform. So I was sitting there with my scarf pulled up over my glaringly obvious blonde hair, feeling pretty pleased with myself for wearing pants that weren’t laughing at the crotch this time, when I saw Paul racing towards me with an urgent look on his face. “Get your stuff” he cried. “We have to go to Platform 3!” We hauled anchor and lugged our bags back along the platform, up the stairs, along the walkway, down the stairs and along Platform 3. Whew! Thank goodness we got that sorted.

Not so. During a genial converstation with a chap sitting near us, we discovered that we should’ve actually been on Platform 5. Pulling our anchor in again, we raced back along the platform, up the stairs, along the walkway, down the stairs and along Platform 5. Paul, wanting to make sure we had it right this time, decided to consult with some likely looking men a few feet away from us. And they all decided that we should indeed be on Platform 3. They were dead certain about this. So, well, you know the routine. Upstairs, downstairs, onto Platform 3. Okay, by this time our luggage had done it’s usual trick and gained another 80 pounds. We’re hot, sweating, exhausted and getting pretty stressed.

We sat on our luggage trying to pull ourselves back from the very edge of panic and then a trumpet blast came over the intercom. “Tadaaaaaahhhhhhh!!! Your attention please. Blip blop bluuuur, blop blip blop bluuur bluuuur blop. Thank you. Have a nice day.” That’s EXACTLY what it sounded like - I kid you not! Paul and I looked at each other with horror - that could have been a really important message. And I think that’s what pushed us over the edge. I am now intimately able to understand the term “hysterical laughter”. I started off, Paul saw it, he got started and before we knew it we were rolling around laughing our silly heads off with tears rolling down our faces. The announcement came on a couple more times with no improvement to the quality whatsoever, and rather than having split pants I nearly had wet ones. I was actually in pain from laughing.

However, this did not sort out the situation we were in, so Paul got up and went to the office window again, while I tried to pull myself together. And when he came back, guess what? Our bluddy train was actually leaving from Platform 1. And it was due in about 2 minutes! How I managed to haul that luggage onto my back one more time and get up those stairs I’ll never know. But I tell you what, I couldn’t have cared less if the train we got on was going to Timbuktoo - I was just gonna be on one. As it turned it, the darned thing was about 25 minutes late and hoved into view just as we began thinking there was no such train at all. I can’t say I’ve ever wanted to hug a train before, but as it pulled in I looked at it with such love in my eyes.............

I have since learned that Indian people have this thing about not wanting to disappoint you. They don’t like saying no and they don’t like not being able to help you. So if they don’t know the answer to your question, they’ll say whatever they think you want to hear, even if it’s completely untrue. Bless them.

Now I do have to wonder to myself how many people have actually killed someone in this sort of situation."

Originally Posted by BabeInTheWoodsOh, this I just can't resist. If only it were so simple!!! harimakesh, if you find a way to simplify this matter, PLEASE let me know. Refer to my journal entry below for why I'm rolling around the floor laughing at your question...

Good read, had me laughing.

The Coolies (porters) are great in this situation, tell them what train and what class and they race off with your luggage, if you ever catch them up, you'll find yourself placed in exactly the right spot for your carriage.

Pre-announcement chimes can be great, I remember one I heard a few times (New Delhi, MGS, Guwahati), it was a 9-note chime that had me convinced they were about to announce the lottery winners.

Sometimes people read my posts and think I know a little about Indian Railways, they don't realise that I'm capable of the craziest mistakes, I found myself standing on the platform at Shimoga station waiting for the rail bus to Talguppa, I was having a great time, a strange conversation with a very pretty girl, a nice breakfast, then getting more breakfast to feed a stray dog, then wondering why the platform was so empty and there was no sign of the rail bus, then I realised this 'one platform' station actually had 2 platforms, and the narrow gauge rail bus couldn't come to my (broad gauge) platform even if it wanted to, so I had to get a bus.

Oh, this I just can't resist. If only it were so simple!!! harimakesh, if you find a way to simplify this matter, PLEASE let me know. Refer to my journal entry below for why I'm rolling around the floor laughing at your question...

babeInthe woods,

I had similar experiences of inspecting atleast 10 odd platforms and finally discovering the first one tried turns out to be the right one. This time I just wanted to prevent this happening all again to me! Predicting departure platforms is a kind of weather prediction... worst prediction lets to get cyclone hit experience Thanks for sharing info

I find porters are really the only solution to this problem. How they come to know where the train will come in is beyond me, but they are usually right. If you are early or your train is late you may have the choice between "platform only" or "bogey", the latter meaning that the porter will come back and board the train with your luggage, seeing you to the correct compartment. "Platform" simply puts you and your stuff at the point on the platform where your carriage will stop.

Steven: is there a way to find out berthing for other stations on this site???

I discovered that using porters was in the end the best way to get on the right train. To start with I couldn't see the point in paying them to carry my pack as it was easy to do myself. But dicided to do it once in Ahmedabad. Best thing really, the porter took me to a seat, left me there then came back as the train arrived, my carriage was right in front of me, then he took me to my seat on the train moved the people on my seat off it and I sat down, worth every rupee I paid.

If you reject the food, ignore the customs, fear the religion and avoid the people, you might better stay home. ~James Michener

Last edited by LunavadaLad; May 30th, 2007 at 14:38..
Reason: no can spell

I'll never forget the kuli who after efficiently depositing me and my things returned just before the train left, to tell me that I had paid the hotel driver as well as himself for the carrying and offered to return what I had paid him. Obviously (I hope), I refused the refund.

Originally Posted by LugubertI'll never forget the kuli who after efficiently depositing me and my things returned just before the train left, to tell me that I had paid the hotel driver as well as himself for the carrying and offered to return what I had paid him. Obviously (I hope), I refused the refund.

That's fantastic! Good for him and good for you. It's great to hear such a cool story in these cynical times. Makes me go all gooey.:namaste :